The present invention relates to alarm systems, and more particularly to programmable automobile alarm systems that include vocal reports and alarms generated by voice synthesis techniques.
Alarm systems are known in the art. A typical alarm system is installed for the purpose of securing a defined area from unauthorized intrusion or trespass. The defined area that is secured by the alarm system will usually comprise a closed area, such as a specified room(s) within a building, or an entire building or house. In the case of automobile alarm systems, the secured area protected typically comprises the interior of the automobile, and may also extend to unauthorized tampering with the exterior of the automobile.
All alarm systems have certain basic elements in common. All include one or more sensors that are used to sense an entry event or other activity that could be viewed as an unauthorized tampering or presence (hereafter a "violation"). The sensor(s) are coupled, usually with electrical wires (although RF or other communication links may also be used), to a central control unit or equivalent circuit. When an entry or other activity is sensed by the sensor, an appropriate signal is sent to the control unit, which, if armed, generates an alarm signal. The alarm signal, in turn, may be used locally to sound an audible alarm, such as a loud siren or loud bell (intended to scare off the would-be intruder and to draw attention to the fact that an intrusion or other violation has been detected). The alarm signal may also be used to signal a remote location, such as a police station or a neighboring facility, of the violation that has been detected.
In the case of a simple autmobile alarm system, the vehicle's existing electrical system (used, for example, to turn on a light when a door is opened) is used as a basic sensor that is connected to a control module. An alarm circuit within the control module is triggered whenever the monitored event occurs, such as when the door is opened. A siren or horn is sounded if too much time passes (typically 10 to 15 seconds) before the alarm system is turned off (disarmed).
More sophisticated automobile alarm systems supplement this basic alarm system with additional sensors (e.g., that sense the opening of the hood or trunk, the removal of an automobile cover, or the presence of "motion") and a correspondingly more complex control module. Such systems may also include backup battery protection and remote paging capabilities. Further, it is not uncommon for such systems to take more preventative steps than merely sounding an alarm. For example, automobile alarm systems are known in the art that, upon sensing a violation (such as the opening of the door, trunk or hood while the system is armed), will disable the ignition and/or fuel delivery system of the automobile's engine, thereby rendering it impossible to drive the vehicle under its own power.
A feature common to all automobile alarm systems is the ability to selectively arm or disarm the system. A simple alarm system is armed after a prescribed time delay, such as 15 seconds, following the manual setting of an arming switch inside of the vehicle. (Typically, such switch is "hidden" or otherwise made non-conspicuous so that only the vehicle's owner knows of its location and function.) Once armed, all of the systems's sensors are enabled and any entry or tampering event is interpreted as an unauthorized event or violation. The prescribed time delay after manually setting the arming switch allows the vehicle owner sufficient time to exit the vehicle prior to the system becoming "armed". Similarly, upon reentering the vehicle, as mentioned above, another time delay allows the owner sufficient time to manually disarm the system before the alarm is sounded.
Unfortunately, situations can and do arise where the prescribed time delay, either for exiting or reentering the vehicle, is too short. The result is that it is not uncommon for an automobile alarm system to be "falsely" triggered (meaning that an authorized exit or entry usually the owner's exit or entry--has been interpreted as an unauthorized entry). Needless to say, false triggering can not only be a nuisance and an annoyance, it can also be an embarrassment. Further, in some situations, false triggering can also create a safety hazard either to the owner or to those who might respond to the falsely triggered situation without knowledge that it is a false alarm.
Potentially more serious than false triggering, however, is the possibility of false arming (meaning that the system has not been armed when the owner thinks it has been armed). False arming arises because the owner has no positive means by which he or she can verify that the system is properly armed or disarmed. Typically, a simple indicator light may be used to indicate the armed/disarmed status of the alarm system. However, such a status light is usually only visible from inside of the vehicle. Thus, once the owner has exited the vehicle, he or she has no way of verifying that arming has actually occurred (other than by reentering the vehicle, which reentry will either sound the alarm or cause the false triggering concerns mentioned above).
In view of these false triggering and false arming concerns, what is needed is an automobile alarm system that provides positive verification to the owner of the armed/disarmed status of the system, even when the owner is outside of the vehicle. Such a system would greatly reduce the risk and consequences of both false triggering and false arming.
Another shortcoming of prior art automobile alarm systems is that the alarm, once triggered, will continue to sound until the system is manually turned off (disarmed). In the case of false triggering, as above described, this shortcoming is not too serious because the owner is right there and can turn off the system quickly. However, if the owner is not present--such as would occur if an unauthorized entry attempt has been made and the would-be intruder has fled from the scene; or, if the owner "loaned" the vehicle to a friend but forgot to tell the friend how to disarm the system; or, if there is some sort of malfunction with the sensor or the control module--such continuous sounding of the loud, attention-getting alarm can create a major nuisance and safety hazard. Accordingly, more sophisticated alarm systems known in the art sound the alarm for only a prescribed time period, e.g. one minute, and then turn the alarm off. However, when the owner returns, such systems typically have no way of notifying the owner that an unauthorized entry event or violation has occurred. While some of the more sophisticated systems will provide some visual (e.g., an indicator light) or audible (e.g., a beeping sound) indication to the owner upon his or her return that a violation has occurred, such indication does not tell the owner when the security violation occurred or, in the case of a system that employs multiple sensors, what type of security violation occurred. Such information, if available, could prove invaluable to the owner as an aid in assessing appropriate action to take and, in situations where actual damage or theft of articles occurred, in completing police and insurance reports. Unfortunately, to communicate such information to an owner using conventional output communication devices, such as printers, CRT or LCD screens, or one-line character displays, would significantly add to the cost and complexity of the alarm system.
It is apparent, therefore, that an alarm system is needed that not only notifies the owner of the occurrence of an unauthorized entry event, but that also informs the owner, without using expensive, cumbersome communication devices (such as printers and visual character displays), of the type and time of occurrence of the unauthorized entry event.
A further major concern with existing automobile alarm systems relates to their cost of manufacture and purchase, complexity of installation, and ease of maintenance verses their performance. To illustrate, a simple automobile alarm system (e.g., one that uses only the existing wiring of the automobile to sense the opening of a door and that sounds an alarm when unauthorized entry is detected) can be quite inexpensive to manufacture and simple to install (and therefore quite affordable to the owner). Unfortunately, such a simple alarm system does not suit the needs, nor provide adequate protection, for many automobile owners. Therefore, most owners who want an alarm system will choose an alarm system that provides more protection and better suits their particular needs and vehicle.
Because every make and model of automobile is somewhat different, and further because every owner is also different, and further because the needs of every owner change as a function of time and situation, there is no known universal automobile alarm system that will suit the diverse needs of all owners at all times. Therefore, an owner must carefully shop around and try to select the alarm system that provides the best compromise given the owner's particular desires needs and budget. See, e.g., "Auto Alarm Systems", Consumer Reports, October 1966, pp. 658-62. If the owner's needs or wants subsequently change, the only option available to the owner is to replace or upgrade the existing system with a new one that satisfies these new needs or wants. Such replacement and/or upgrading can be very bothersome and expensive, and in many situations is not practical.
Hence, what is needed, is a universal automobile alarm system that can be efficiently and inexpensively manufactured, readily customized at installation to suit the particular automobile and owner involved, and easily modified by the owner thereafter to alter its performance to suit the needs and wants of the owner at any given time.